Battery terminal post cleaning device



' 'J.'J.' WILLIAMS 9 5 BATTERY TERMINAL POST CLEANING DEVICE Filed April18, 1944 I Q INVENTOR 107ml Wlllzdmy TFQRNE s Patented Aug. 13. 1946OFFICE BATTERY TERMINAL POST CLEANING .DEVIC John J. Williams,Bridgeport, Conn. Application April 18, 1944,: Serial No. 531,675 (c1."51-1-186) Claims. 1

.This invention relates to tools for .use with storage batteries and thelike, and more particularly to a cleaning .tool .for removing dirt,corrosion, acid deposits, etc, from. the .terminal posts of .a battery.

An object of thepresent invention is to provide an improved cleaningtobl for battery terminal-posts which .will-operateto efficiently remove,dirt and crusteddeposits without removing any substantial amount ofmetal of the post which would cause undesirable reduction in the postdiameter. The invention also aims to provide a cleaning .tool of .suchconstruction that acid conditions under which the tool is used will notnecessitate frequent replacement of the tool.

These objects are accomplished .by the provision,.in a plier-likebattery tool of a pair of jaws lhaving .concave surfaces carryingabrasive particlesor grits such as medium fine emery cloth andpreferably so arranged that when the tool is rotated about-its axis, thesurface of the battery-post which the jaws embrace will be cleaned andpolished. Preferably, the novel structure is such asto permit quick andconvenient removal and replacement of the cleaningJ'aws.

The nature of storage batteries, with'their acid electrolyte, is suchthat heavycorrosion .generally occurs at the terminals due to the actionof the acid on the same. Cleaningrimplements heretofore used forremoving the dirt and corrosive deposits on the terminal posts employeda scraping and trimming action which resulted in removal of aconsiderable amount of metal from the post. This undesirably reduced thepost diameter so that the terminal clamps would no longer clamp sametightly without shims. This, together with the-inconvenienceaccompanying the useof these prior cleaning tools, caused them to beoften left on the bench and notused so that the battery remained in anuncleanstate. By the provision of quickly removable and replaceable jawsin a cleaning tool, the present invention makes it possible toconveniently clean battery terminal posts, and to employ a mild, fineabrasive type of cleaning action. .This latter was previously notpracticable because when in use the jaws would become clogged ifsubstantial amounts of dirt and deposits were encountered on the posts,and time wouldthen be required to clean the jaws beforethe operationcould be completed. However, with the device .ofthe present invention,when the cleaning jaws have become clogged with dirt ..or worn out,iti'is a simple matter to quickly remove andre- '2 place these .jawswith a new clean set, andproceetl with .the cleaning operation. The jawswhich are removedmayobe conveniently cleaned and if necessary providedwith new abrasive at alater time, so that they are again ready for use;7

.As a result .of these advantages, an incentive is providedffor cleaningthe terminal posts of a battery, land-this operationmay be quickly andconvenientlyaccomplished, without detriment to theposts. .Moreo've'r,whatever corrosion of the cleaning jawsof thetoolmi'ght occur due to theacidity .of the deposits removed from the battery posts itwill notaffect the main part of the tool, so that the latter has anextendedperiod of useiulness. Theldemountable jaws of the tool may beremovedafter a number of cleaning operationsand washed with soap or othersolution or cleaned with a brush, and thejaw-supporting parts o'flthetool readily wipedclean because of their simpleshape.

According to a this invention, the demountable jaws iare made so as tobeof low cost, being formed of sheet metal with an abrasive means attachedthereto. .In one form of the invention this abrasivemeans comprisesastrip of emery cloth or .the likeh'eld onithe jaw and in another formthe abrasive means. comprises emeryparticles or grits attached .tothejawsur-face with suitable adhesive.

.Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

..-Inlthe..accompanying drawing ,Flig'ure Lisa frontelevation ofarcleaning tool madeaccording to .on'eiorm of the invention.placed-.011. a battery po'stifor cleaning same.

Fi'g..2. is asideele'v-ationio'f the tool .of Fig. l.

.Fig. .3 isa.vertical section takenon-the line 3 of Fig. 2. a I

Fig. 4 is a,horizontalisection.taken on the line of levers H3 and .ll..piv.otally connected together intermediate their .endsbya pin'l2. Thelevers have handle portions-10a and Ha respectively,

.andon the opposite side ofthepin l2, shorter jjaw supporting ortionsI'flb, and I ll) respectively.

According to the present invention in the form illustrated in Figs. 1, 2and 3, the supporting portions lilb and lib of the tool are providedwith demountable cleaning jaws so that the latter may be quickly andconveniently removed when clogged with dirt, and may be cleaned andreplaced, or else immediately replaced by another clean set of jaws.

For this purpose the ends 13 and I4 of the supporting arms I b and I lbrespectively may be provided with apertures l5 and I5 extendingsubstantially parallel to the axis of the pin I2. Carried on the ends l3and M are resilient 7 Figs. 5 and 6.

mounting clips i! and I8 respectively which are fastened to cleaningjaws l9 and 2B in some suitable manner, as by welding, each clip havinga U-shape, and the yoke of the clip being attached to the associatedjaw. The cars of the clips I! and is are provided with extruded inwardlyextending projections 2| and 22 respectively which enter and engagethewalls of the apertures l5 and i6 respectively, and bottom tabs 23 and24 are provided, bent to form closures for the bottom sides of theclips. 1 v

The cleaning jaws l9 and are shaped to substantially encompass andengage a battery terminal post 25, and this shape may be such that, whenspaced slightly apart as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the-jaws constitutesubstantially a frustro-conical two-piece shell, "each'jaw comprisingslightly less thanone-half of the frustru'm'of a cone. The base orbottom edges of the jaws preferably are flared outwardly, as 'shownat19b and 28b, to prevent them from cutting into the material of the base25a of the post 25. 7

For the purpose of cleaning the surface of the post 25 without removingan excessive amount of metal therefrom, the jaws l9 and 20are'provided'on their inner surfaces with abrasive material. This may bein the form of emery cloth or other suitable sheet abrasive material,the edges of the cloth being held by folding over inwardly the verticaledges 26 and 21 of the jaws respectively to clamp said edges.

When using a cleaning tool'constructed ac-'- cording to the invention,as described above, the terminal posts of a battery may be quickly andconveniently cleaned. This is done by grasping the handle portions 10aand Ha of the tool, placing the jaws I9 and 20 about the post toencircle the same, and then rotating the tool about the axis of the postpreferably by a to and fro oscillating movement. This will result in thegrits of the abrasive removing any corrosionor oxidation or foreignmatter on or embedded in the relatively soft metal post, yet the amountof metal removed therefrom during this operation will be substantiallynil so that the diameter of the post is not reduced undesirably.

Should the corrosion and dirt on the battery posts be considerableenough to clog the pores of the abrasive medium carried by the jaws l9and 29 so that this medium is no longereifective,

the jaws may be cleaned, or may be quickly removed and replaced by a newset, and the cleaning process continued. i

It will be noted that thetabs 23 and 24 of the spring clips protecttheends I3 and of the supporting arms from contact with corrosive depositsremoved from the battery posts during the cleaning thereof.' It istherefore unlikely that these, ends would become corroded duringnorimalfuse of the tool, andthose parts of the tool,

namely -the jaws l9 and 20 which are subjected to the action of thecorrosive deposits, being 4 readily removable, may be convenientlycleaned as by washing with a soap solution. Preferably these jaws aremade of a corrosion-resistant sheet material such as stainless steel.Thus the useful life of the tool of this invention will be comparativelylong.

After continued use .of the tool, should the abrasive medium on the jawsl9 and 20 become worn away, the jaws may be discarded and new jaws usedinstead.

A modification of the invention is shown in In this modification, theends l3a and Ida. of the supporting arms of the tool may be forked orbifurcated to receive deep longitudinal crimps 28 and 29 respectivelywhich are formed in the central portions of the cleaning jaws 19a. and20a. As shown in Fig. 6, an abrasive cloth 3!! along its central portionextends into the crimp 28 of the jaw 19a and is securely held in placethereby.

For the purpose of fastening the jaws lfia and Zea to the ends 13a andMa respectively. of the supporting arms, the latter are apertured, andthe crimps 23 and 29 correspondingly apertured to receive pins 3i and 32respectively.

The functioning. of this form of the invention is similar to that shownin Figs. 1 through 4, the pins 3! and 32 being frictionally held inplace so that they may be quicklyremoved for detaching the jaws whendesired. V

Fig. '7 illustrates a modified form of'cleaning jaw33 which isinterchangeable with the jaws [9a and 28a. This modified jaw has a sheetmetal body portion 34 which is backed by folds 35 and 35 in the metal,the end portions '31 and 38 of the folds bein bent to extend radiallyfrom the body 34 to form an ear 39. This car has an aperture Mi andfunctions to support the jaw in the samemanner as the crimps in the jaws[9a and 20a.

According to this invention, an abrasive me dium need not be in the formof a sheet; but may be provided on the inner surface of the jaw in theform of a coating 61 of emery or other grits which may be applied with asuitable adhesive as shown in Fig. 7. This coating may be cleaned with abrush and soap solution when it becomes clogged, and may be readilyrenewed from time to time so that the jaws need not be discarded after acertain period of use.

' Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of theinvention and portions of the improvements used without others.

I claim:

1. A battery terminal post cleaning tool comprising a pair of handlevers pivotally connected together intermediate their ends, each ofone'pair of adjacentends being bifurcated; a pairof sheet metal jaws,one for mounting on each of said bifurcated ends, each of said jawshaving substantially a semi-cylindrical shape and alongitudinally-extending tab along its central portion, interposedbetween the forks of its supporting lever end, the longitudinal edges ofeach jaw being folded, an abrasive lining for each jaw, having portionsinterposed in the folds of the jaw edges for holding the lining againstincidental removal; and pin means extending through the tabs of the jawsand the associated lever end for fastening same together. g

2. A battery terminal post cleaning tool comprisin a pair of hand leverspivotally connected together intermediatetheir ends, each of one pairofadjac nt ends being bifurcated; a pair of sheet metal jaws, one formounting on each of said bifurcated ends, each of said jaws having substantially a semi-cylindrical shape and a longitudinally-extending crimpalong its central porti on, the crimp being interposed between the forksof its supporting lever end and the longitudinal edges of each jaw beinfolded; anabrasive lining for each jaw, having portions interposed inthefolds of the jaw edges and in the crimp of the jaw for holding thelining against incidental removal; and pin means extending through thecrimps of the jaws and the associated lever end for fastenin sametogether.

A battery terminal post cleaning tool comprisin a pair of hand leverspivotally connected together intermediate their ends, each of one pairof adjacent ends being bifurcated; a pair of sheet metal jaws, one formounting on each of said bifurcated ends, each of said jaws havingsubstantially a semi-cylindrical body portion and folds backing saidbody portion, the end portions of said folds being bent on adjacentlongitudinal lines extending al'ong'the central part of the body portionso that said end portions extend radially outward to form an ear ofdouble thickness between the forks of the associated lever end; abrasivemeans on the body portion of each jaw; and pin means extendin throughthe ears of the jaws and the associated lever ends for fastening sametogether.

4. A battery terminal post cleaning tool comprising a pair of handlevers pivotally connected together intermediate their ends, each of onepair of adjacent ends being bifurcated; a pair of sheet metal jaws, onefor mounting on each of said bifurcated ends, each of said jaws havingsubstantially a semicylindrical body portion and folds backing said bodyportion, the end portions of said folds being ent on adjacentlongitudinal lines extending along the central part of the body portionso that said end portions extend radially outward to form an ear ofdouble thickness between the forks of the associated lever end; anabrasive coating on the body portion of each jaw; and pin meansextending through the ears of the jaws and the associated lever ends forfastening same together,

5. A battery terminal post cleaning tool comprising a pair of handlevers pivotally connected together intermediate their ends, each of onepair of adjacent ends being bifurcated; a pair of sheet metal jaws, onefor mounting on each of said bifurcated ends, each of said jaws havingsubstantially a semi-cylindrical shape and a longitudinally-extendingcrimp along its central portion, the crimp being interposed between theforks of its supporting lever end; and abrasive lining for each jaw,having central portions interposed in the crimp oi the jaw for holdingsaid portions in place; means extending along the longitudinal edges ofeach jaw for holding the edge portions of the abrasive lining in place;and pin means extending through the crimps of the jaws and theassociated lever end for fastening same together.

6. A battery terminal post cleaning tool comprising a pair of handlevers pivotally connected together; a pair of jaws adapted to engagethe convex surface of a battery terminal com-prising a body and means.for mounting same,

on a holder, said body being adapted to engage the convex surface of aterminal post; an abrasive lining for the body; andm'eans includingmeans for frictionally' securing the lining to opposite edges andseparate means to engage and hold the center portion of the body toprevent its incidental removal.

8. A jaw for a terminal post cleaning tool comprising a substantiallysemi-cylindrical sheet metal body and folds backing said body, the endportions of the fold being bent on adjacent longitudinal lines extendingalong the central part of the body so thatsaid portions extend radiallyoutward to form a mounting tab of double thickness; and abrasive meanson the body for cleaning the terminal post when the latter is engagedand rubbed by said body.

9. A jaw for a terminal post cleaning tOOl', comprising a body having asubstantially semi-cylindrical shape and a longitudinally-extendingcrimp along its central portion, the longitudinal edges of the bodybeing folded; and an abrasive lining for the body, having portioninterposed in the folds of the body edges and in the crimp thereof tohold the lining against incidental removal.

10. A battery terminal post cleaning tool comprising a pair of handlevers pivotally connected together intermediate their ends, each of onepair of adjacent ends being bifurcated; a pair of sheet metal jaws, onefor mounting on each of said bifurcated ends, each of said jaws havingsubstantially a semi-cylindrical shape and a longituolmally-extendingtab along the back central portion, interposed between the forks of itssupporting lever end, the front portlon of each jaw being covered withan abrasive material; and pin means extending through the tabs of thejaws and the associated lever end for fastening same together.

11. A battery terminal post cleaning tool comprising a pair of handlever members pivotally connected together intermediate their ends; apair of sheet metal jaw members; means for mounting the jaw members onlever members including a longitudinal rib-like portion on one memberand a pair of longitudinally disposed elements on the other memberspaced to receive the rib-like portion therebetween and means detachablyconnecting the assembled longitudinal rib-hke portion and longitudinallydisposed spaced elements together to secure the post, having abrasivegrits on the post-engagl jaw members to the lever members, each of saidjaws having substantally a semi-cylindrical shape, the longitudinaledges of each jaw being folded; and an abrasive lining for each jaw,hav- I ing portion interposed in the folds of the jaw edges for holdingthe lining against incidental removal.

12. A battery terminal post cleaning tool comprising a pair of handlever members pivotally connected together intermediate their ends; apair of sheet metal jaw members; and means for mounting the jaw memberson lever members including a longitudinal rib-like portion on one memberand a pair of longitudinally dis posed elements on the other memberspaced to receive the rib-like portion therebetween and means detachablyconnecting the assembled longitudinal rib-like portion andlongitudinally disposed spaced element together to secure the jawmembers to the lever members, each of said jaws having substantially asemi-cylindrical shape, the longitudinal edges of each jaw being foldedand the terminal post engaging face therebetween being covered with anabrasive material.

13. A battery terminal post cleaning tool com: prising a pair of handlevers pivotally connected together; a pair of jaws shaped to engage theconvex surface of a battery terminal post and having mean for cleaningsaid sugace; and

means for mounting the jaws on the adjacent ends of the leversrespectively to position them for gripping and cleaning the terminalpost, said mounting means comprising spring arms and interlockingcooperating portions carried by the jaws and levers to form readilyreleasable snaprespectively to position them for gripping and cleaningthe terminal post, said mounting means comprising resilient clipsattached to each jaw to embrace the associated lever end and havingprojections engaging the walls of the recesses to yieldably hold thejaws on the levers.

15. A battery terminal post cleaning tool comprising a pair of handlevers pivotally'connected together and having apertures in thejaw-supporting ends thereof; a, pair of jaws shaped to engage the convexsurface of a battery terminal post and having means for cleaning saidsurface; and means for mounting the jaws on the adjacent ends of thelevers respectively to position them for gripping and cleaning theterminal post, said mounting means comprising resilient clips attachedto each jaw to embrace the associated end lever and having integralprojecting bosses engaging the walls of the recesses to yieldably holdthe jaws on the levers.

JOHN J. WILLIAMS.

